On-demand Bulk, Brush and Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Austin Resource Recovery offers bulk, brush and household hazardous waste collection for its residential customers, which includes single-family homes and up to fourplexes in Austin. Customers can schedule up to three collections for each service each calendar year
Schedule an on-demand collection
You can schedule a collection for your address through the Austin Recycles app, online or by calling Austin 3-1-1 (512-974-2000).
The scheduling system will show you which items or materials can be collected. Select all the items you'll be setting out. After booking your appointment, you'll receive an email confirmation with your reservation details. You'll also get an email reminder ahead of your appointment, reminding you to set your items out by 5:30 a.m. on the appointment date.
Appointments are required for collection — items will not be picked up without one. Download the Austin Recycles app to receive notifications and service reminders.
Did we leave an item behind?
Please note that items may be collected by different trucks at different times throughout the day. However, if all items are not collected by 4 p.m. on your scheduled collection day, please call Austin Resource Recovery at Austin 3-1-1 or email us after 4 p.m. on the date of the missed collection and within 2 business days of the missed collection. We will pick up the missed items as soon as possible.
Bulk collection is for items that are too large for your trash cart.
Accepted bulk items
- Appliances (remove doors)
- Carpet (household)
- Doors
- Furniture
- Lawn mowers (remove gas/oil)
- Nail-free lumber
- Pallets
- Passenger car tires (remove rims; limit 8 tires per household)
- Railroad ties (cut in half)
- Rolled fencing
Items not accepted
- Automotive chassis and bodies
- Boats
- Brush
- Cardboard boxes
- Carpet (from construction/demolition)
- Hazardous materials
- Household trash
- Mirrors
- Motorcycles
- Sheet glass and other construction and remodeling debris
- Tile (whole or broken)
- Tires that are still mounted on rims
- Trailers
This is not a complete list of all accepted bulk items. To confirm whether an item is accepted, download the Austin Recycles app or use the What Do I Do With tool to search for an item.
Set-out guidelines
- Place bulk items at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on your appointment date.
- Separate items into three piles:
- Metal items and rigid plastics - Includes appliances (with doors removed), electronics and rigid plastics.
- Non-metal items - Includes carpeting and nail-free lumber.
- Passenger car tires - Rims must be removed. Limit of 8 tires per household. We cannot collect truck or tractor tires.
- Keep items 5 feet away from your carts, mailbox, fences or walls, water meter, telephone connection box, fire hydrants and parked cars. Do not place any items under low-hanging tree limbs or power lines.
- Items will not be collected if they are in an alley, in front of a vacant lot, or in front of a business.
- Do not put items in bags, boxes or other containers. Bags will be treated as extra trash and may incur additional trash fees.
This collection is only for residential customers and homes in certain Limited Districts.
Brush collection is for large brush, branches and tree limbs that are too large for your curbside composting cart.
Clearing brush can also help reduce the risk of wildfires.
Set-out guidelines
- Large brush, branches, and tree limbs should be between 5 and 15 feet long. If longer than 15 feet, they must be cut down.
- Place large brush at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on your appointment date.
- Stack the brush loosely in one row along the curb, no more than 15 feet across and no higher than 4 feet, with cut ends facing the street.
- Tree trunks more than 8 inches in diameter should be 3 feet long or less.
- Do not block the sidewalk or extend piles into the street.
- Keep items 5 feet away from your carts, mailbox, fences or walls, water meter, telephone connection box, fire hydrants and parked cars. Do not place any items under low-hanging tree limbs or power lines.
- Items will not be collected if they are in an alley, in front of a vacant lot or in front of a business.
This collection is only for residential customers, homes in certain Limited Districts and Emergency Services Districts (ESD).
Small branches
Small branches (less than 5 feet long and no thicker than 3 inches in diameter) are not part of brush collection and should be set out with your weekly composting collection. We will collect the contents of your green cart and up to 15 items placed beside the cart (including lawn and leaf bags, reusable containers and small branch piles).
Brush drop off
If you have exceeded your three annual on-demand brush collection appointments, you can drop off brush at the Austin Water Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant. This option is available for Austin and Travis County residents.
Prevent oak wilt
Austin is prone to oak wilt, a fungal tree disease that spreads rapidly and can kill oak trees. Help prevent its spread by only pruning oaks between July and January when fungal spores are least likely to infect a tree. Always paint pruning cuts on oak trees immediately and sterilize pruning tools between pruning of different trees. Learn more at www.TexasOakWilt.org.
Household hazardous waste collection is for leftover household products that may be dangerous or harmful.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers hazardous materials those that:
- Can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances;
- Are corrosive or toxic;
- Contain hazardous ingredients and require special disposal.
Accepted houehold hazardous waste items
- Aerosol cans
- Automotive fluids and oil filters
- Batteries (car and household)
- Cleaning products
- Cooking oil and grease
- Fluorescent light bulbs
- Mercury (thermometers, etc.)
- Paint and paint thinners
- Pesticides and herbicides
- Pool chemicals
- Propane cylinders
Items not listed cannot be collected through this service. Please search for other safe disposal options. If you prefer, you can drop off household hazardous waste at the Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center. Appointments are required. Schedule your appointment online or through the Austin Recycles app.
Set-out guidelines
- When possible, place items in a recyclable container, like a cardboard box or tub. These containers will be collected and not returned.
- Containers must be sealed or closed and clearly labeled.
- Leaking containers should be bagged separately in sealable or zip-top bags to prevent reactions.
- Items should be placed in an area accessible to collections staff.
- Pets should be restrained.
- For safety reasons, individual containers larger than 5 gallons cannot be collected.
- There is a 30-gallon limit for the total amount of materials collected during each scheduled collection. If you have more than 30 gallons, please schedule an additional appointment or drop them off at the Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center. Appointments are required. Schedule your appointment online or through the Austin Recycles app.
- Commercial or industrial materials cannot be collected.
This collection is only for residential curbside customers.
How on-demand collections benefit our customers
Get collections when you need them
On-demand services enable more efficient, cost-effective waste collection for our customers. The ability to schedule collections at your convenience means you no longer need to wait six months between collections and can select collection dates that align with when you have materials to dispose of.
Properly recycle or dispose of household hazardous waste right from your home
Adding on-demand household hazardous waste collection encourages proper disposal and keeps dangerous materials out of our landfills. Before the on-demand service was introduced, customers had to make an appointment to drop off materials at the City’s Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center. While the center remains an option for all Austin and Travis County residents, on-demand service makes it more convenient for curbside customers to recycle or properly dispose of household hazardous waste from home.
Help the City reach zero waste
On-demand bulk scheduling requires customers to specify the number and type of bulk items to be collected, allowing us to send the right vehicle(s) to pick up the materials and deliver them to the appropriate facilities. This allows more material to be recycled and diverted from landfills.
Bulk collection alternatives
As always, Austinites should reduce, reuse and recycle, in that order. Please consider other available resources or services that allow gently used items, such as furniture or electronics, to be reused by the community, including:
- Using online marketplaces or apps where neighbors can offer these items for free or sell them for a reasonable amount.
- Informing your neighbors, friends, family or coworkers that you have reusable items you would like to rehome.
- Donating gently used or working items to thrift or reuse stores.
By rehoming gently used furniture, working electronics and appliances or other reusable items, curbside customers can help others in the community find the items they need while minimizing waste. The City recycles all appliances, electronics, metals, and rigid plastics collected through bulk collection. The revenue generated through recycling these items helps to keep customer fees down.
Furniture diversion options
Currently, there are no recycling or reuse options for furniture collected through the City's bulk collection. Try to rehome or donate gently used furniture rather than using bulk collection when possible.
The City is in the process of opening a reuse warehouse to keep furniture out of the landfill. The warehouse will accept drop-off furniture donations and allow crews to divert furniture picked up during bulk collection. The furniture will then be redistributed to regional nonprofit organizations and used to furnish homes for those transitioning out of homelessness. The EPA awarded The City of Austin a $4 million grant to create the reuse warehouse. The funding will be used to secure warehouse space and equipment.